You are here

Preps focus on Week 8 tilts

Preps focus on Week 8 tilts

Wesleyan Christian School Mustang tackler Jonathan Kowalczyk, right, latches on to a Tyro Christian (Kan.) Eagle ballcarrier, during last Thursday’s non-district varsity football clash, in Bartlesville. Wesleyan Christian racked up a 51-20 victory to snap a five-game losing streak and keep its hopes alive for a non-losing record. The Mustangs are slated next to travel Friday to Welch, for a non-district showdown. Becky Burch/Examiner-Enterprise

A handful of area high schools eye stiff challenges while others are taking a break from fierce district wars during Week 8 football showdowns.

Dewey (4-3, 2-2), Nowata (6-1, 3-1) and Wesleyan Christian (2-5, 0-4) each are taking aim this week on non-district foes before plunging back the following week into the chase for the playoffs.

The Bartlesville Bruins (4-3, 2-2), meanwhile, are preparing to meet the Tulsa Union Redskins (5-2, 4-0) in a 6A-1 showdown, in Bartlesville.

With little to lose — Tulsa Union is ranked No. 2 in the state and 63rd nationally and hasn’t lost to Bartlesville since 1988 — the underdog Bruins will likely try to mix their brand of stingy defense, explosive offense and special teams, along with a few surprises, to try to derail the Tulsa Union express.

In 2010, Bartlesville came within less than five minutes of beating Union, on the Redskins’ homefield. If Bartlesville can keep Friday’s game — which also will be Senior Night and is set to kick off at 7 p.m. — close down the stretch, perhaps it can find magic in the moonlight.

Bartlesville charges into the game fresh off an impressive fourth-quarter explosion in a 31-6 thumping of the Stillwater Pioneers.

During the final 4:30, Bartlesville’s defense picked off three passes — one returned by Slade Nordic for a touchdown — that resulted in three scores to blow the tight game wide open.

The Bruins are 2-1 in their last three district games coming into Friday’s fracas.

Bartlesville’s offense is averaging approximately 400 yards a game; the defense has been more effective than some of the scores might indicate, due to having to defend short fields caused by Bruin turnovers.

Following this week, the Bruins hit the road — at Ponca City and at Tulsa Washington — for their final two district games.

In an area game rife with playoff implications for both teams, the Pawhuska Huskies (2-5, 2-1) will host the Chelsea Green Dragons (2-5, 1-2).

Pawhuska currently owns the No. 3 spot in District 2A-7, while Chelsea is trying to climb the ladder in the district standings.

If Chelsea were to win Friday, it would pull even with Pawhuska for a third-place tie.

Oklahoma Union will face a mammoth task in trying to beat Adair, which is 10-0 in district play, dating back to the 2012 campaign.

Last year, Oklahoma Union played the Warriors as well as almost anyone in the district, at least in terms of the final score. Adair won, 34-6.

In a game with minimal playoff impact but important to both teams, winless Caney Valley (0-7, 0-3) will face Chouteau-Mazie (3-4, 1-3), in a 2A-7 collision.

Caney Valley obviously is anxious to annex its first season victory, while Chouteau-Mazie is trying to keep from being eliminated from the playoff race.

In last year’s game, the teams combined for 70 points, with the Caney Valley Trojans winning, 48-22.

But, this year’s result could have a much lower total.

Chouteau-Mazie has scored just 20 points combined in its last three games, while The Trojans have scored in double-digits just twice in seven games.

North of the border, the area’s other Caney Valley team — the Caney Valley (Kan.) Bullpups — faces a possible dance with destiny.

The Pups (6-1, 5-0) will host the Neodesha (Kan.) Blue Streaks (1-6, 1-4) in a Tri-Valley League scrap, with both a league championship title and playoff futures at stake.

A victory would clinch Caney Valley’s fifth-straight league crown and extend the Pups’ league winning streak to 31 straight, dating back to 2008. Caney Valley also can clinch a postseason spot by beating Neodesha.

But, Neodesha also can wrap up a playoff berth if it were to upset the Pups.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday, in Caney, Kan.

Copan (1-6, 1-5) will be playing for pride, for its seniors and for program momentum when it travels Friday to Watts (0-7, 0-5), in District B-3 action.

The Copan Hornets are anxious to win a game on the field (their lone victory was by forfeit) with their rock-bottom minimum roster of eight players.

Watts, which also is not blessed with an overabundance of players, is hungry, as well, for victory.

Last year, the Hornets had to forfeit against Watts. On Friday, the two teams will decide supremacy on the field.

Back in Oklahoma, the Barnsdall Panthers (4-3, 2-2) will be focused on trying to knock off Morrison (6-1, 4-0), in a District A-7 meeting.

Barnsdall is licking its wounds from last week’s non-district 33-0 loss at Mounds — an uncharacteristic performance for Barnsdall, which boasts several potent offensive weapons.

The Panthers are in solid shape as far as their playoff quest, but would love to claw out a win against Morrison and challenge for at least second place in the final district standings.

In non-district action, Dewey will be looking to knock off unbeaten Locust Grove (7-0, 4-0), prior to a crucial two-game district stretch to end the season.

Last year, Dewey racked up a 28-point win, 50-22, against Locust Grove.

The Nowata Ironmen (6-1, 3-1) are coming off a 68-0 win against Caney Valley and will take on Regent Prep in a non-district clash.

After snapping a five-game losing streak, with last Thursday’s 50-21 victory against Tyro Christian (Kan.), the Wesleyan Christian School Mustangs are set to take on the Welch Wildcats (1-6, 1-4) in a non-district game, at Welch.

Although their playoff hopes are likely clashed, the young WCS Mustang team still has an opportunity to finish the season with three wins and finish at 5-5 — which would be just its second non-losing season since joining the OSSAA.

Friday’s meeting also will be preview of things to come.

Next year, Wesleyan Christian will move up to Class B and reside in the same district as Welch.

Rules for posting comments

Comments posted below are from readers. In no way do they represent the view of Stephens Media LLC or this newspaper. This is a public forum.

Comments may be monitored for inappropriate content but the newspaper is under no obligation to do so. Comment posters are solely responsible under the Communications Decency Act for comments posted on this Web site. Stephens Media LLC is not liable for messages from third parties.

IP and email addresses of persons who post are not treated as confidential records and will be disclosed in response to valid legal process.

Do not post:

Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.

Obscene, explicit, or racist language.

Copyrighted materials of any sort without the express permission of the copyright holder.

Personal attacks, insults or threats.

The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.

Comments unrelated to the story.

If you believe that a commenter has not followed these guidelines, please click the FLAG icon below the comment.